Fountain
by bringonthew0nder
Summary: Arthur is launched back into modern day to find his sister waiting for him. She and the rest of the Camelot band are enrolled in a college, as is Merlin. The problem? Merlin doesn't want to be found. Arthur/Merlin bromance, probably slash, but no smut. Morgana/Mordred (not disgusting, totally cute), possibly some Percival/Gwaine, Gwen/Lancelot, etc. I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Back with a new story! I don't own Merlin. Hope you like it! Please review!**

A tall woman with curly dark hair stood by the Lake of Avalon patiently. Her hands were clasped in front of her while she waited and the wind blew ever so slightly to tussle the already tangled mass of hair. She was dressed in a light, white tank top and dark blue skinny jeans, and tan sandals. It was a warm day, although the wind gave it the chill that made it necessary to wear pants instead of shorts.

Morgana was waiting for her brother to finally return from his long sleep in Avalon.

A ripple caught her eye. She had been waiting nearly an hour and any abrupt movement caught her gaze. Then a hand shot out of the water where it rippled and a head emerged, and she saw her brother take a deep, gasping breath for air. She smiled, but said nothing. As he swam over to shore, he didn't seem to see nor recognize her for the moment. He spluttered as he pulled himself onto land until finally he looked up and saw her standing there. Immediately he looked at her with no lack of hostility and stood up as quickly as he could manage.

"Morgana," he said accusingly, "What are you doing here? Where's Merlin?" Arthur looked her up and down and frowned at her outfit. Freya had given him a basic rundown of the new generation, but she'd conveniently forgotten to mention fashion of the age.

"Merlin is...not here right now," she said hesitantly, "Actually, I'm here to show you around. And take you to Merlin, eventually."

Arthur eyed her warily. "But you...hate me. Last time we met, you wanted to watch me die. You took great pleasure in my misery."

Morgana bit her lip. This is what she was afraid of. "I, ah, I apologize for that. Really, I do."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. "You're sorry. Seriously? You...should I even waste my breath reminding you what you did?" Morgana shook her head and looked at him shamefully.

"I don't really know what else to say, Arthur. I've changed, and you'll find I'm more like the Morgana you knew when I was still at Camelot before I ever met Morgause." Arthur had been brought perfectly up to date with the lingo of the age, however lacking his knowledge was in the fashion, and quickly snapped,

"That's bullshit. How can you just...change?" He shifted uncomfortably in his medieval armor, which weighed down on him heavily.

"To be quite honest with you, I never really changed at all. I was still the same, but I'd been taught by my sister to turn my inner resentments, mostly little things, outward so that I could learn to hate...you. And Camelot. And everything I ever stood for. I was angry from recent events and completely open to manipulation and Morgause took advantage of that. I should never have let her change who I was. I don't think I ever hated you, Arthur, never you. Just Uther and Camelot and most everything else. And Merlin. Still not sure how I feel about Merlin." She tilted her head to the side curiously as he asked,

"Why would you hate_ Mer_lin?"

She stared at him for a minute before replying, "You don't...you don't know what he did, do you?" She looked hesitant to say, but added, "He poisoned me." At Arthur's surprised look, she quickly explained, "He did it when the sleeping spell was going all over Camelot. I was the host, although I didn't know it, and Merlin did. He knew threatening to kill me would save Camelot. To be fair to him, he didn't see another way. To be fair to me, had he explained the situation, I may have tried to kill myself to save you all. So I have mixed feelings about him. Plus, he killed me. So that's not exactly something I admire in him either." She sighed heavily as if she had a lot to talk about.

"Listen, there's a lot to fill you in on, Arthur, do you want to talk about it in the car while we drive back to our flat?" Arthur frowned again, not completely convinced his sister was telling the truth, but he decided he didn't have much to lose. He let her take him where they were supposed to go and Arthur's eyes widened when he saw the city. It was so big, so full of people. It was about an hour drive to get there, but they finally arrived and Morgana proudly showed him their flat.

"It's so...small," he started. Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Arthur, it's a flat. We don't own a castle anymore. I'm sorry it's too freaking small for you. Get over it." Arthur snorted at her, more with relief that she sounded like the sister he knew and loved in Camelot. She showed him his room and a closet full of clothes that were custom fit to him. The flat was quite large seeing as Morgana was pretty well off, so the clothes were not shabby whatsoever. Arthur decided on a red t-shirt and blue jeans with black converse. He came back out, feeling much lighter than before without his knight's clothes on.

Morgana briefed him on what was going on, who was around, what he had missed. Gwen lived in the building across the street, but was hooked up with Lancelot - now going by Lance. Gwaine lived with Percival. Elyan, Leon, and Mordred lived in the same building as Gwaine and Percival, but a floor below them. They were all enrolled in a public college, and Morgana had arranged an identity for Arthur. All the others had been reborn and had legitimate identities, and still had their memories, while Arthur was trickier since he didn't have a record officially. Morgana had taken good care of that issue. They were all in the same college and Morgana was good friends with all the knights, and was going out with Mordred. Arthur initially sneered at the age difference, but Morgana happily explained that Mordred's rebirth came early and they were the same age. Arthur still thought it was gross, but he didn't press anymore on the subject.

"So...Mordred doesn't hate me either anymore then, yes?" he asked her nervously. He had always been fond of the druid boy and knight and had been very sad by his betrayal. Morgana bit her lip again.

"Well...I actually don't know how he'll react. He knows you're coming and he remembers everything, but Kara never showed up in this world. He doesn't talk about her and he doesn't talk about you. I only ever brought you up to him once or twice and he seemed indifferent. I honestly don't know."

"Alright, so what about Merlin? You've said absolutely nothing about him since I've gotten here." Morgana avoided his gaze and said quickly,

"That's because I haven't found him yet. I saw him once on the campus and he's been actively avoiding me since. I didn't even get the chance to talk to him. And for all I know Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, and Mordred haven't talked to him either. He's avoiding everyone on purpose." Arthur was taken aback.

"He's doing...what? Why?" Morgana looked incredibly upset.

"I don't know! The only one of us he actually talks to is Gaius, who teaches chemistry. I've talked to Gaius a few times, and he says Merlin doesn't want to be found. He's hiding from us. Gaius doesn't know why either." Arthur let out a long breath and fell back on the couch behind them. Morgana set down delicately next to him. "So what are you going to do?"

Arthur stared at the wall for a minute before standing up again. "I'm going to find him."

"You can't just - Arthur, have you been listening to a thing I've said? He doesn't want to see us! Besides, the campus is huge!" Arthur walked over to the door and pulled on a hoodie hanging there.

"He doesn't know I'm here. And he doesn't know I'm looking. He also doesn't know I'm going to give him a good sock when I find him." His face was steeled with determination. Morgana stood up and had walked over to where her brother was standing, putting a hand on his arm.

"Come on. At least wait for morning. It's nearly eleven at night. No one will be awake. Just wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is Monday, we'll have classes, and maybe you'll find him then. By the way, I have to talk to you about your schedule…" And just like that, Morgana managed to keep Arthur home for the night.

((()))

The next morning, Arthur found that Morgana had put him in the basic core classes for a college sophomore. He had chemistry last, and Arthur decided that Gaius would be the best person to talk to in order to find Merlin. Most of his classes were a bore, but luckily he found most of them came easily to him. Finally, at the end of the day, having seen no trace of Merlin, Arthur approached Gaius, who had obviously recognized him.

"Good to see you, Arthur," Gaius said kindly. Arthur gave him a thin smile and immediately asked,

"Have you seen Merlin anywhere? I've seen most everyone else, but Merlin is the only one I have yet to see again." It was true; Arthur had seen the knights in a couple of his other classes and they had been absolutely thrilled to see him.

"I, ah, can't say that I have. Not recently. I take it you're adjusting well otherwise?" Gaius asked, changing the subject. Arthur was immediately annoyed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm rooming with Morgana. I know Merlin's here, Gaius, and you can't say you haven't seen him because he's required to take chemistry this year."

Gaius happily corrected him, "No, he's not. He's a freshman, so he's taking biology."

"So you have seen him."

"Well...yes, but not much."

"Gaius," Arthur said exasperatedly, his eyes pleading, "Please."

Gaius sighed. "I don't think he wants anyone to see him right now. He's having a hard time adjusting to the fact that you're all back, although he doesn't know you're back yet. I should tell him next time I see him." Arthur threw his hands up in the air.

"Why can't you tell me? I'm his best fr - we were close, you know that! Can't you at least tell me where he's living so I can try to find him myself?"

Gaius looked at him sternly. "Arthur, I'm respecting his wishes. I assure you when he wants to talk, he'll find you." Arthur scowled at his old friend and spat,

"Fine." He whirled around and stormed out of the room. Gaius watched him go sadly and sighed to himself. Merlin didn't want to be found, but Arthur wanted to find him. Whose wishes should he respect?

((()))

Arthur stormed back into the flat where Morgana looked at him with an expression of pity.

"I take it you didn't find him then."

"Not only that, but Gaius was deliberately unhelpful!"

"Arthur…"

"What?" he snapped.

"I thought I should tell you that Gwaine decided to plan a party for tonight. He's inviting Gwen, the knights, and you and I. Are you coming?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Merlin won't be there."

Morgana rolled her eyes and came to sit next to Arthur who was sulking on the couch again. "You can't ignore everybody else because you're missing your best friend," she said softly. Arthur glared at her.

"He is not my best friend," he growled.

"Then what is he?"

"I don't...a friend...he isn't...I don't know," he spluttered, "But he's certainly not my best friend if he doesn't even want to see me."

"He doesn't know you're here. Maybe he'd stop avoiding us if he did."

"Yes, maybe. Or maybe he does know I'm here and still is avoiding us." Just then a knock came on the door.

"Come in, door's open!" Morgana called. A tentative hand came around the doorframe and Gwen's face appeared. Arthur's eyes brightened.

"Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed, "Hi! Not to be rude, but what are you doing here? You're going to the party later, right?" Gwen closed the door behind her and looked at the two of them.

"Hi Morgana! I'm coming, yes, but I wanted to see Arthur before I did. God knows the knights won't leave him alone for a minute, so I wanted to say hello."

"Hullo," Arthur said sulkily.

"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked Morgana worriedly. Morgana mouthed 'Merlin'. Gwen nodded and sat down next to Arthur.

"Arthur," she started gently, "Merlin will show up soon enough. Who knows, maybe he'll even crash the party!"

"Not likely," he snorted, "That's not something he would do."

"No, it's not," she said awkwardly. She sucked in a deep breath and said, "I missed you." He sat up a little straighter and looked at her.

"Thanks Guinevere. It's nice to know someone did," he said pointedly.

"Hey, I did too!" Morgana protested indignantly, "And so did everyone else! Quit acting like nobody cares, Arthur!" Arthur sighed and looked at his sister and then back at Gwen.

"Sorry. I heard about Lancelot, how is he?" Gwen immediately blushed at his words and stammered,

"Oh...oh, he's...fine. Great, actually." She nodded and glanced at Morgana for help. Arthur caught the look and said softly,

"Guinevere, I'm not worried about it. If he makes you happy, then that's what's important." Gwen looked terribly embarrassed and blurted,

"But I don't want you to think you didn't make me happy! I chose you over Lancelot, you know I did. Our reincarnations are all slightly different, so now...I mean...not that I don't...I just…" Arthur put his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes seriously.

"Gwen. I'm not worried about it. Honestly, I'm not." Gwen nodded, but still looked embarrassed.

"I'd… I think I should get back. I promised Percival I'd help set up decorations for your party."

"_My_ party?" Arthur asked. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Well of course it's your party! It's for you, stupid!" She ruffled his hair affectionately before bouncing out, "I'll see you later!"

As soon as she left, Arthur turned to Morgana, who was smiling broadly.

"What was that all about?"

"She's been terribly concerned, Arthur," Morgana said, as if it should be obvious, "She thought you'd be upset that she's with Lancelot now and she's thrilled you're not. Like she said, all our reincarnations came back a little different than they were before, so some of our opinions have changed. For me, I lost all that hatred and bitterness and for Gwen, it changed her preference from you to Lancelot. She still loves you as a friend, though, Arthur." She added more quietly, "And thank you for that, she really needed to hear from you that you're not all concerned about it."

Arthur looked slightly flattered. "I've had about a thousand years to get over Guinevere, Morgana, I knew there was a possibility she'd pick someone else. I love her as a sister now too, so there's nothing to get worked up about." He still felt an old twinge of that rivalry with Lancelot, but he had never harbored ill feelings against the knight. He was fine.

((()))

Morgana helped Arthur pick a good outfit for the party, although it was nothing formal, just more casual clothing. Arthur found he liked modern day fashion so far. It was lighter and easier to wear, although it seemed more vulnerable to the elements.

Gwaine greeted him by the door with a bear hug. Percival did the same and the other knights looked happy to see him. He waved at Gwen in the corner who smiled and waved back. He noticed that Lancelot slid an arm around her waist when Arthur walked in. So be it.

Morgana grabbed Mordred and dragged him over to Arthur. Mordred looked distinctly uncomfortable as he sat down on the couch across from Arthur.

"Um," Arthur started, "Hey." Mordred gave him a tight smile and said,

"Welcome back."

"Thanks." The silence was painfully awkward before Morgana interjected,

"Oh dear God, the both of you! Say something! I know for a fact there was more to your relationship than blatant hatred, on both sides." She glared at Mordred as she spoke and he flinched.

"I, ah, I'm sorry I killed you," he said awkwardly. Arthur stared at him for a second before replying,

"Forgiven. I'm sorry I killed Kara. I know you felt it was unfair." _She only tried to kill me once or twice_ Arthur added in his mind, but decided to keep it to himself. He wanted to make up with Mordred.

"It _was_ unfair," Mordred mumbled. Arthur said nothing, but hid his smirk when Morgana gave Mordred a light smack upside the head. Mordred looked up at her with an annoyed expression, but she smirked and leaned down to give him a light peck on the lips. Arthur made a disgusted sound and turned around. When he looked back across at him, Mordred was smirking with amusement at Arthur's discomfort.

Arthur stood and offered Mordred his hand. Mordred cautiously took it and Arthur pulled him into a short hug. Mordred looked surprised and Arthur told him, "There. We good now?" Mordred smiled shyly and nodded.

"I'm ready to put the past behind us. I missed you." Arthur smiled warmly and nodded,

"Great. Back to normal then." Morgana smiled and took a sip of the beer she had in her hand.

"Morgana, what is that?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Beer," she shot back, "Want some?"

"I...but you don't...yeah give me some, would you?" Morgana smiled indulgently and handed him a bottle. Arthur took a sip. It wasn't bad, no worse than anything he'd had in the tavern in Camelot. Gwaine, he noticed, had already taken quite a few large sips and was already in the process of knocking things over.

Arthur walked around the room several times, taking small sips of beer as he did. He glanced out the window to see the view and saw something very familiar. The bright lights hit two figures, two distinct figures. One that was very recognizable.

With raven black hair and the awkward lanky frame, Arthur identified one of the figures as Merlin.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I have neglected to add italics in this chapter, so add them in wherever you see fit because I'm lazy. :P Merlin/Arthur bromance and some Perwaine. I don't own Merlin. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

Everything happened at once. Arthur's jaw dropped open and he dropped his drink, causing Gwaine to laugh and Percival to groan that now it was all over the carpet. Then Arthur jumped over the coffee table, slamming his knee into the side of the couch, and limped out of the apartment as fast as he possibly could. Cursing at his banged knee, Arthur limped quickly to the other side of the building where he saw Merlin.

By the time he got there, a good five minutes later, he was panting and he only saw a girl. She had a familiar face and when she turned around…

"Freya!" Arthur shouted, "What are you doing here? Where's Merlin? And don't tell me he wasn't here, I just saw him."

"Oh, he was here all right," Freya snapped. Arthur was taken aback. In the lake, she had been so kind and patient with him. Then he realized she was crying. Arthur straightened up and limped towards her and offered her his arms in an awkward hug. She didn't take it and instead took a step back and leaned on the rail along the sidewalk.

"What happened?" Arthur asked more softly.

"Merlin," she growled, "I just broke up with him."

Arthur was startled. "Oh. I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. She nodded and wiped away her tears.

"Sorry," she muttered, "He's just…" she heaved a heavy sigh and Arthur nodded.

"Yep. I know the feeling."

"Do you, though?" Freya asked him, through narrowed eyes.

"Freya, you forget I spent ten years with this guy at my side," he snorted, "We might as well have been a couple. Don't think I don't know him."

"Well why weren't you then?" Freya asked simply, sniffling.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "Because that's...gross?" Freya rolled her eyes.

"Oh be mature, Arthur. It's really not."

"I didn't mean...I didn't mean because it's gay, I mean because I don't like Merlin that way! Ever! No, ew, gross, why are we talking about this?" He wrinkled his nose at the thought. He and Merlin? No freaking way. Freya giggled slightly at his bemused expression and said,

"Okay, Arthur. Anyway, thanks for...well, I don't know, what did you do for me?"

"Distract you from your break up with Merlin by expressing my sentiments that kissing Merlin must have been a nightmare?"

"Right. Well thanks!" she said, starting to walk away, waving. Arthur smirked and waved back, going back to the apartment but still feeling a deep pull in his gut. He may not like the guy in the way Freya implied, but he still missed Merlin.

((()))

When he walked back in, the party didn't seem to disrupted by his absence, but Gwen and Morgana rushed over to worry over him. He assured them he was fine and sat on the couch, politely asking Leon to pass him a beer.

"I saw him," he croaked to Morgana and Gwen, "I saw him and then he wasn't there." Gwen and Morgana exchanged a look, which Arthur caught and he frowned. Gwen sighed and stood up, giving him a quick hug and rejoining Lancelot. Morgana said quietly,

"I don't think she knows what to say to you anymore. At least, not right now. She doesn't know what to expect from you." Arthur glanced over Morgana's head to see Gwen going up on tiptoe to give Lancelot a quick kiss on the lips.

"Well she certainly knows how to act around Lancelot," he said bitterly.

"Arthur," Morgana snapped, "You gave her permission, quit acting like she's betrayed you or something." Arthur sighed heavily.

"Just tired...and frustrated…" He closed his eyes for a minute before he heard a loud, rousing cheer from where the knights were all standing together.

"What on earth - oh," Arthur started to ask. He and Morgana looked over to see Percival's arms around Gwaine's waist, and the two of them kissing. Arthur and Morgana's jaws dropped slightly. Then Morgana joined in with the clapping and shouted,

"Go Gwaine!" She laughed with amusement and Arthur turned to stare at her.

"Did you know - ?" he asked, pointing in their direction.

"Nope!" Morgana shot back, a wide grin on her face, "But I always thought they were cute." Arthur snorted with amusement and stood up, walking over to Gwaine and Percival. He didn't care, he just didn't know there was anything going on between them.

"I didn't know you were gay, Gwaine," he said teasingly, slapping him on the back. Gwaine looked scandalized.

"I resent your implication, Princess," Gwaine shot back, pausing to make sure Arthur looked mortified for a second before continuing, "I'm a freewheeling bisexual." He winked at him and added quietly, "Wouldn't mind giving you a kiss either." Arthur laughed, but replied,

"Oh God, please don't. I don't even want to know what your breath smells like." That made Gwaine roar with laughter and Arthur walked back to Morgana, one eyebrow raised.

"A freewheeling bisexual, he says," he told her. She chuckled and pulled Mordred over.

"Hey Mordred, why don't you go for a turn with Gwaine," she joked.

"Absolutely not," he deadpanned, "Being in the same room with him is bad enough." His lips curled up in a smirk on the side though, contradicting his words and indicating he thought it was funny too.

((()))

The rest of the party was a blur for Arthur, seeing as he drank one too many beers at Gwaine's encouragement as well as his own motivation to forget that he had been so close to seeing his best friend. Morgana and Mordred had to pull him away from the party and dropped him on his own bed.

Arthur woke up with a horrible hangover and the minute he was awake, he vomited all over his pillow. He groaned loudly and Morgana rushed into his room, trying her robe on as she entered.

"Oh, Arthur," she sighed, giving him a pitying look. She rushed over to take his pillow away - luckily he hadn't barfed on anything else - and rinsed it before throwing it in their washing machine and rushing back to him. He was sitting up now, doubled over as he leaned over the edge of the bed. Morgana sat next to him cautiously and asked him the most important question first:

"You're not going to barf again, are you?" He shook his head no. She reached over tentatively and rubbed her hand over his back slowly to try and comfort him.

"Never been hung-over in my life, Morgana, not ever," he said stupidly, "It sucks." Morgana let out a small tinkling laugh at that.

"Oh yes, yes it does." She'd been there, she'd done that. She never drank much in Camelot, so her first time getting a hangover was an unwelcome surprise. He sat up slowly and leaned on her for support. Morgana put an arm around him and regretted all those years in Camelot when she should have been there for him like she was now.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before…

"Well, that's sweet, isn't it?" Arthur and Morgana both jumped, Arthur immediately regretting it as his vision exploded in stars and his head pounded.

"God dammit…" he cursed. Morgana glanced at him anxiously before looking up at the interloper.

"Merlin!" she cried out, "For God's sakes, I'm not even dressed!" Merlin looked embarrassed and Arthur snorted behind Morgana.

"Merlin shows up after years of actively avoiding you and you're worried about him seeing you in a robe?"

"Sorry, my bad, Arthur," she snapped back without missing a beat, "I forgot that he saw you naked every day."

"Excuse me?!" "I did not!" came both indignant responses at the same time.

"Did he not help you get dressed and draw your bathwater?" Arthur and Merlin both flushed.

"Morgana...yes, but he never...okay, think of it this way: did Gwen ever see you naked? She helped you change, didn't she?"

Morgana shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, but we're girls. It's completely different."

"How so?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"She doesn't blush if anyone brings it up...which is rare."

"Morgana, that's hardly fair!" Merlin protested.

"What? Why? You both turned red as beets when I said it."

"That's because that's totally random and invasive to bring up!" Arthur argued.

"It's a good question though, isn't it? Now excuse me while I go get some clothes on!" Morgana gave them both an arrogant smirk before striding off into her own room.

"Well, that was...fun," Merlin said awkwardly.

"How did you get in here?" Arthur immediately inquired.

"What? Is that even a question? Magic, duh," Merlin said, obviously trying and failing to lighten the mood. Arthur stood up, ignoring his pounding head now. He took a few steps towards Merlin, crossing his arms.

"Oh yes, sorry, I forgot about that talent of yours that you lied to me about for ten years. My bad," Arthur said harshly. Merlin winced and mumbled,

"I thought we made up on that count."

"Yeah, well, I'm bringing it up again. 'Cos I'm pissed."

"Freya said you wanted to see me," Merlin tried lamely, "I thought it would make you happy."

"Happy?" Arthur's mouth was a thin line and he tried to keep from shouting, "How can I be happy? You were avoiding us! Hiding from your own past! Okay, Morgana and Mordred, I understand, fine. But Gwaine? The knights? Ordering Gaius not to tell me anything? Freya? Merlin, these people care about you and you're throwing them away like they're nothing and you show up to see me?" Merlin opened his mouth to say something in his defense when Arthur ploughed on, getting closer progressively closer, "I thought you of all people cared about them too! Gwaine? He's one of your best mates! Freya? I know you weren't hiding from her, but you sure as hell weren't making her life any easier! Leon, Elyan, Percival, Guinevere and Lancelot? Merlin, they love you and miss you and you didn't think they were even good enough to drop by and say 'hello'. And now you show up out of the blue for me. Why?"

Their chests were a foot away and Merlin looked up at Arthur with a steely look. "I couldn't. I couldn't just 'drop them a line', Arthur. You don't understand, I - " Arthur gritted his teeth and shoved him, a pent up frustration coming out in a way he never meant it to. He didn't shove him hard, but enough to knock him on his bum. Merlin stared at him for a minute, his mouth slightly open in surprise before closing it, setting his jaw and standing back up. His eyes were hard now.

"You don't understand," he said, holding Arthur's wrists so that he could push him again, "I couldn't because it would have physically killed me. I'm not being dramatic. I'm dead fucking serious. It was dangerous enough for me to interact with Gaius and Freya before you showed up, but I was told by a wise friend that I could not get near any of them until you came back. I don't know why. I don't know how. I just knew I didn't want to take that risk. That's why I made Freya break up with me and why I didn't have Gaius tell anybody anything about me. I just didn't know you were back until he told me this morning." He slowly released Arthur's wrists. "I came by because I missed you. You were the first person I wanted to see because I knew your reaction would be the strongest. I'm sorry I disappointed you." Merlin's calm, cold voice made Arthur wince, scaring him much more than when Merlin used to yell at him.

"I…" he said, not knowing what to say to Merlin. Merlin's expression didn't change as he added,

"Come see me when you're ready. I'll be by the fountain." Arthur frowned and tried to be angry again but he couldn't. He couldn't do it and he was now full of regret that he made Merlin think he didn't want to see him.

((()))

Morgana didn't come back out after Merlin left, which Arthur thought was curious, but he was more worried about Merlin. He sat down slowly on his bed again, his head in his hands. He stared at the floor for a while, probably twenty minutes real time, before getting up and making his way out the door. His feet let him to the fountain where he saw Merlin still waiting for him, looking mildly interested in something beyond Arthur.

Arthur sat down next to him and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Um," he said, "Hello."

Merlin glanced at him as if just noticing he were there and said cheerfully, "Oh, hello!" Arthur scowled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What, you mean besides normal?"

"Yes, smart ass."

"Well, today I feel a little bit under the weather, but -"

"Merlin," Arthur sighed exasperatedly, "Come on now…"

"All right, all right," Merlin muttered hastily, "What is it?" Arthur gave him a good long sidelong glance before asking,

"So what is it? You heard my question."

"It wasn't phrased very kindly."

"No, it wasn't."

"Can you fix that?" Arthur was rapidly getting annoyed by Merlin's stubbornness to be stubborn and let out a frustrated huff.

"Yes. Fine. What is wrong with you? What's your problem? Better?"

"Yes." Merlin paused which made Arthur shout,

"Then, by God, Merlin, answer the goddamn question!"

Merlin gave him a sheepish smile, as if he was tempted to simply evade Arthur's questioning further, but he decided that he didn't want to get socked again.

"It's quite a long list according to you, Arthur," he started cynically, "But then in all honesty I think the main problem here is that I've been alive for a thousand years waiting for you and then I was told I couldn't see anyone until you showed up, which made waiting harder."

"You didn't...die?"

"No. I'm immortal."

"Okay. Um. Well. Sounds fun."

"Not really." Arthur cleared his throat. He was strangely unsettled by Merlin's casual tone. They may as well have been discussing the weather.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said, the only logical thing that came to mind that made sense to say.

"It's not your fault," Merlin said simply, "Nor, really, is it mine. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this." Bitterness leaked into his voice.

"Do you…" Arthur hesitated, biting his lip, "Did you want to talk about it? I'm sure that's a heavy burden to carry without so much as telling anyone."

"Oh, Gaius knows most of it." Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin's tactlessness.

"Well, good for Gaius. Dandy. I only got the sense you wanted to tell me because you started to talk about it," he snapped irritably. Merlin looked at him, wide-eyed, but his eyes looked tired and defeated. He scrutinized Arthur for a minute before asking,

"Is it so wrong that I wanted a normal life? Like you, like Gwaine, like my mother? I love my magic, but I wish...well, it sounds quite silly now." Arthur's heart immediately went out to him. He wasn't sure whether he should try to lighten the situation or comfort him. So he sort of did both.

"Hey," he said softly before roughly pulling him into a headlock and giving him a noogie, "We're back, okay? You'll be okay. You won't be lonely anymore." He released Merlin and then put his fingers at the edge of his lips, curling them up. "Turn that frown upside down!" he said cheerily.

"Arthur," Merlin groaned at his attempt to cheer him up, but found himself smiling anyway. Arthur playfully scowled at him.

"Mer-lin," he whined back, "Don't be such a baby!" He understood that Merlin's problems were far greater than his own and that he wasn't being a baby in any way, shape, or form, but he wanted him to be happy. Unhappy Merlin made everyone unhappy.

"Last time I saw you looking like this was right before Camlann," he joked. Merlin looked at him solemnly all of a sudden, and also guilty. Arthur's smile disappeared. "What? What is it?"

"Uh," Merlin bit his lip, "Do you want to know the real reason why I looked upset, Arthur?" Arthur nodded and Merlin looked scared for a second before taking a deep breath and blurting, "When we went to that cave and I saw that old dead guy, you know the one where you were surprised that I looked so freaked, it was because I had seen a vision. Fate actually. Your fate. I...I knew Mordred would kill you. And I knew you would hesitate to kill him which gave him the opportunity to do it." Arthur recoiled in surprise.

"You knew?" he asked softly, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You're not supposed to tell someone their fate, Arthur," Merlin said, irritated as if it should have been obvious, "Because then they screw with it and try to escape it and end up fulfilling it."

"...Which is why you were so hostile to Mordred when we saw him again," Arthur said, drawing conclusions he knew to be true. Everything made more sense now. "You did everything to try and stop him and ended up giving him the incentive to turn on us in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Merlin mumbled, "I didn't know...I thought maybe…"

"You could change fate," Arthur finished dreamily, "But you couldn't. No one could, or can, apparently."

"Playing God," Merlin said wisely, "Is not something we are meant to do, immortal warlocks or not." Arthur nodded and gave him a forced smile.

"Well, what's done is done, eh?"

"Yeah," Merlin said bitterly. Then Arthur punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Hey," he said loudly, "Brighten. Up. You're going to make it rain or something."

"But aren't you - "

"Mad? No. It doesn't matter. What does getting mad about it do for me now?"

"That's not what happened earlier." Arthur rolled his eyes again and shot his arm out in front of Merlin before pushing him backwards into the water. It was a deep-ish fountain, so he didn't hit his head. Merlin immediately ducked under water once he recovered and hid behind Arthur, who looked sideways, expecting to see his surprised face. Instead, he saw nothing and frowned. Then arms grabbed him from behind, wrapping around his stomach and pulling him in backwards.

Arthur gasped before hitting the water, accidentally sucking in a lot of water. He immediately stood up and choked, making Merlin stand up next to him and huffed as if it were a minor annoyance. He flicked his hand in Arthur's direction, mumbling a spell, and immediately his throat cleared. Arthur glanced at him, smirking and rasped,

"You suck, you know that?" Merlin grinned and nodded childishly before Arthur grabbed him by the arm, twisted it around his back and turned him around. He dunked him in the water before pulling him out. Merlin whined in pain and Arthur laughed and let go. Without turning around, Merlin used his magic to knock Arthur's legs out from under him and making him fall backwards. Arthur spluttered and tackled him from behind and the two wrestled for a minute before Arthur succeeded in pushing him to the bottom and then pulling him up before he could hurt himself.

"Ahem," they heard a new voice come from the edge of the fountain. Arthur and Merlin glanced over and saw a security guard standing there. "What do you think you're doing?" Arthur sucked in a breath when he saw who it was. It was Agravaine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry the chapters are coming slowly, I'm super busy. Anyway, hope you like this chapter, full of angst and gay subtext. Yay. I don't own Merlin. Please enjoy and review!**

Arthur immediately narrowed his eyes and gave a shout of surprise. When he looked back and saw Merlin doing nothing, he gestured at his former uncle and hissed,

"What's he doing here?" Merlin gave him a look that clearly said to stop talking. Arthur wanted to make a retort, but seeing his uncle here was too great a shock. He was satisfied with glaring at Merlin and waiting for him to say something.

"I happen to be a security guard. You know, the ones who walk around making sure no one's causing trouble?" Agravaine said sarcastically, "I also make sure no one's messing around in the fountain. You could have damaged the fountain or hurt yourself." Arthur raised his eyebrows, and replied,

"You care if we get hurt?" he asked aggressively. Merlin stood up and stepped hard on his foot.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again. It was my fault anyway, I pushed him in."

To Arthur surprise, Agravaine just raised his eyebrows and replied with, "See that it doesn't happen again. I'm keeping my eye on you two." He walked away without another word and Arthur turned on Merlin.

"What was that all about?" he asked wildly. Merlin shrugged,

"When I k...when he died back in our time, he bumped his head. I guess he hit it hard enough to forget himself when he came back. I don't know why, but I'm not complaining. Although he isn't the kindest security guard all the time. I just didn't want you to say anything that might spark his memories."

Thoughtfully Arthur inquired, "Right. So wait, so who else came back? Besides everyone we already know?"

"Well, Morgause and Nimeuh are here. Thick as thieves and raging bitches most of the time - "

"So no change there then?" Arthur snorted. Merlin smirked against his will. Arthur added quickly, "Although as much as I agree, I don't think Morgana will. She loved Morgause and she's a bit of a touchy subject." Merlin nodded,

"I figured as much. Can I...I mean, is Morgana mad at me? I do want to talk to her, I just didn't know what to say this morning."

Arthur's mouth curled up in a smile. "You still like her?" Merlin looked at him, aghast.

"I, what? No! Of course not! I never liked Morgana, Arthur!"

"Sure," Arthur said, "She isn't mad at you, not really. She just didn't understand why you were avoiding her. Although you might plead mortal terror, she'd like that, to know you're afraid of her."

"I am not!" Merlin protested indignantly.

"You are so," Arthur argued, "Besides, what do you want to talk to her so badly for anyhow?"

Merlin hung his head. "Well, there's a couple things I'd like to say. Sorry, for one of them. And, you know, we were good friends back in Camelot before everything kind of went...downhill."

"Before it became a shit storm, yeah," Arthur agreed. Merlin held back a laugh and said,

"Wow, you really have caught on to the modern lingo, haven't you?" Arthur crinkled his nose.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't like it, really. But it's like it's a habit now, even though I've only been here and not...dead for a couple of days now."

"Not dead is good," Merlin said genially, "I like you better not dead." They went up the stairs to Arthur and Morgana's flat and knocked on the door softly. Morgana answered and looked relieved when she saw them.

"So I've seen you two have made up," she said happily, "Good. Now get in here." She hauled them both in by their scruffs, ignoring their weak protests, and semi-threw them at the couch. They landed with an 'oof!' and she gave them a satisfied smirk. Then she sat on the chair across from them and started to interrogate the both of them.

For hours all three of them talked about events long since passed. Morgana thought it would be a good exercise to be able to put the darker side of Camelot behind them for good. It seemed to be working, and she said she'd worked out things with the knights and Mordred this way. She didn't say a word about Nimeuh and Morgause, and neither did the two men.

"So can you both still do magic, then?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded and Morgana looked a little flighty all of a sudden.

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't, I-" Arthur was surprised by Morgana's tone. She was being defensive. "Morgana, if you can do magic, that's wonderful. At this point, does it do me any good to be mean to you for it?" Morgana scrutinized him as if checking to see if he was trying to trick her.

"No, it doesn't," she responded quietly. Merlin added softly,

"Morgana, you started this exercise or talk session or whatever so we could put the past behind us. We're doing that. We're not holding anything you did then against you now. We're all starting completely new. New century, new surroundings, new lives. Okay?" He put out a cautious hand, hoping she would take it for the first time in a thousand years. Merlin noticed his own hand shaking slightly and he held Morgana's gaze seriously. He was extending the olive branch. He wanted to be her friend again, but not against her will.

Morgana bit her lip and stared at Merlin's hand, nervously glancing up at Merlin and then back at his shaking hand. Arthur waited, not really sure what to think. He couldn't tell what either of the other two were thinking and he would have paid good money to know. Finally Morgana extended her own hand and clasped it gently in Merlin's.

"Okay," she said simply.

"Are we good?" Merlin asked.

"We're good," she said back seriously, before smiling slowly. She released Merlin's hand but turned it over so that the top of his hand was facing up. He frowned at her in confusion and she said mysteriously, "Just hang on a sec. It's a custom. I'm surprised you don't know it." She gestured with her head for Arthur to join them. Arthur blinked before scooting over closer to Merlin, close enough that their shoulders were touching, and asked,

"What?" Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Now you should know this seeing as Freya was supposed to have filled you in! Put your hand in the middle." Arthur frowned for a second before realizing what she was doing.

"No. This is stupid."

"Arthur Pendragon!" she hissed, "Put your hand in the middle!" Arthur was startled by her tone and reluctantly put his hand on top of Merlin's. Morgana grinned and put her hand on top of theirs. Merlin was still confused.

"What are we doing?"

Morgana ignored him and asked Arthur, "What's our team name?"

"We're not a team. You're my sister and Merlin's my idiot."

"Your idiot?"

"Sorry. An idiot." Morgana smirked coyly but said nothing. Then she said suddenly,

"Team Free Will."

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked at the same time Merlin asked, "Who's Will?" Morgana rolled her eyes dramatically and elaborated,

"As in freedom to choose our own path. We will not allow destiny to rule us any longer. We've outlived our destinies."

"Ah," Merlin interjected, "In my experience, you don't screw with destiny because it will bite you in the butt and you also don't insult destiny or it will kill your best friend and make you blame yourself for a thousand years..."

"We're fine," Morgana cut him off, "This is the twenty-first century. No one believes in destiny anymore. It is the belief in it that sustains it. I say Team Free Will. Any arguments?" Arthur just sat there quietly and Merlin scowled slightly. "Good. Count of three, Team Free Will. One, two, three…"

"Team Free Will," Arthur and Merlin said in monotonous union. Morgana shook her head.

"Fine, be that way, but we've bonded now." She gave up and stood, pointing at both of them. "Team Free Will is a thing now," she said, deadpanning. Arthur and Merlin just blinked as if they were clueless and Morgana threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Boys!" she said mutinously, storming out of the room dramatically and muttering all the way.

"She really does have a flair for dramatic entrances and exits, doesn't she?" Merlin asked after a minute.

"Always has," Arthur agreed, "And likely always will." He stood up and let out a long breath.

"Well, now that we've 'bonded' I'd say we're free to do something with ourselves," Arthur announced. Merlin just looked up at him with wide eyes and asked,

"Like what, for example?"

"Like we could go party with Gwaine and Percival, or we could go see Gwen and Lancelot, or we could….I'm starving. Do you want to go to dinner?" Merlin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Guess you know that you have to get your own food now then, doncha?" he asked cheekily, suppressing a grin. Arthur smacked him lightly over the head.

"Shut up, Merlin." He was grinning slightly though, so Merlin let himself grin. Impatiently, Arthur grabbed Merlin by the front of his red scarf, now modern and not a handkerchief like cloth anymore, and pulled him up off the couch. Merlin fake choked and Arthur released him before realizing it was a trick. He rolled his eyes and said,

"Come on, like I said, I'm starving." Merlin checked that his wallet was still in his back pocket and waited patiently outside the apartment for Arthur. Arthur came out a second later, now with his jacket on. It was a little bit cold and Merlin was already shivering. His shirt was long-sleeved, but it was thin, and the scarf only protected his neck. Arthur only noticed when his teeth started chattering about halfway to a sandwich shop, at which point he asked,

"Are you cold?"

"No, it's quite warm outside, Arthur, on this fine sunny day," Merlin shot back sarcastically. Arthur shrugged off his jacket and offered it to his friend.

"Seriously?" Merlin asked in disbelief. Arthur nodded,

"I'm fine, but you're nothing but skin and bones. You need to fatten up, Merlin." Merlin chuckled and gratefully took the jacket. A minute later, Arthur was shivering now, but he was trying not to show it. But Merlin noticed almost immediately, being the observant person he was, and said apologetically,

"Arthur, you're freezing. Take your jacket, I'm fine. I should have brought one for myself."

"Don't be stupid, I'm fine."

"Arthur," Merlin hissed, "Take it back."

"No, seriously, I'm fine."

"Fine." Merlin walked closer until he was next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and draped the large jacket over Arthur's other shoulder. "We'll share." Arthur glanced at him sidelong, pulling the jacket closer to himself.

"Thanks." They both held their side of the jacket close to their bodies and their combined body heat was making it much warmer. By the time they got there, they had to untangle themselves from the jacket and sit down in a booth in the corner. Arthur sat across from Merlin and they both ordered food, and talked while they were waiting.

"So what happened with you and Freya?" Arthur asked curiously. Merlin's face immediately darkened, but he also blushed, which Arthur thought was strange.

"I don't...that's not really…it's not your business, Arthur," Merlin stammered.

"Sorry," Arthur said, slightly surprised by Merlin's reaction, "I know about the whole deal with you guys in Camelot and stuff, so…"

"There wasn't much of a deal in Camelot," Merlin snapped, "We kissed, we were going to run away, and then our plans were cut short by her sudden death. I thought we weren't talking about Camelot anymore. We put all of this crap behind us." Arthur was slightly stung by his words. He didn't want to forget Camelot, just forgive whatever deeds had been done. But he noticed Merlin didn't specify who had caused Freya's 'sudden death'.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, a little angry with Merlin's hostility, "Really, I am. But what is she supposed to do now, go back to the lake?"

"I don't know," Merlin shot back, "I don't know and it's not fair that she's depending on me for her normal life. No one should be depending on me anymore, in fact, because I'm not going to be your pet sorcerer anymore."

"Pet sorcerer?" Arthur's face darkened. "Are you joking? We didn't even know you had magic! Or at least, most of us didn't. It's not like we were using you for something stupid. You used it on our behalf and that's wonderful! So what the hell has got you acting like you've got a stick up your ass?"

"You. It was so much easier pretending Camelot didn't happen before you came back. I pretending Gaius was just a really nice mentor to me and everybody else were just the popular kids I made a point to avoid. But I couldn't ignore you. It's unfair."

"You wish I wasn't here?" Arthur asked, taking a sharp intake of breath and feeling a heavy weight on his chest, "But...Merlin...you came to me. I didn't come to you! Why did you come into my apartment at 7 in the morning?"

"If I recall," Merlin said, his voice dry, "You were the one who came running out of Gwaine's apartment when you saw me with Freya."

"I was in shock!" Arthur roared, making everyone around them jump and stare, "I'd just come back from the dead to find myself at a party with friends and foes alike! I expected you to be there from the start and when you weren't, I was terrified!" He was furious now, and both he and Merlin knew it.

"Stop it," Merlin hissed, "Stop it now. You didn't need me, you haven't since you came into this century."

"You started this!" Arthur shouted, standing up now. Merlin stood to meet his gaze and Arthur suddenly noticed his eyes were slowly filling with tears.

"What are you crying for?" he yelled, "What the bloody hell do you have to cry about?"

"Stop!" Merlin pleaded with him, "Please. Not now."

"What, afraid of people seeing you cry? You're ridiculous. You're insufferable. I don't even know how I deal with you," Arthur said harshly, and with a grand sweep of his arms, he accidentally knocked over his glass of Coca-Cola and stared at it as it shattered as if in slow motion, spreading the soda everywhere. Merlin regarded it just as sadly and Arthur swore loudly, snatching his jacket off the seat and storming out of the restaurant, leaving Merlin to take the fall.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys...

Got some bad news. I was planning on continuing to write this fic, but I seem to have lost my muse for it completely. I may one day continue it in the future, but as of right now I'm not planning to. You can keep it on your follow list just in case i do, but I highly doubt I'll be continuing this fic any time in the future. I'm sorry :-/ Thanks for reading and reviewing and keep reading my other fics as they come! I'm currently writing a Merlin/Arthur Hogwarts fic which should be good fun. Thanks again you guys!

3 Kitty


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